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S.Lankan Parliament Passes Budget for Year 2001
Sri Lanka's 225-seat Parliament approved on Wednesday a long-delayed budget for year 2001 by a voting of 116 in favor and 107 against.
All parties in ruling People's Alliances coalition government voted in favor while the main opposition United National Party, the JVP or People's Liberation Front and Sihala UrumayaŁ¨heritageŁ©opposed.
According to the budget which passed after a month of parliamentary debate, the government plans to spend about 387.5 billion rupees (around 4.5 billion US dollars) this year, 63 billion rupees (around 740 million US dollars) of that will cover the 18-year ethnic war.
The allocations to defense expenditure to fight separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, who want a separate state in the country's north and east, is smaller than last year's 80 billion rupees (around 1 billion US dollars). The government will also have to pay 12 billion rupees (around 140 million US dollars) deferred from last year.
The voting for the budget was delayed due to Parliament elections in October last year.
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